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Invisibility 'cloak' hides objects by making them seem flat
Humanity is still some distance away from a real, honest-to-goodness invisibility cloak, but British scientists are that much closer to making it practical. They've developed a coating that uses graded refractive index nanocomposite materials (just rolls off the tongue, really) to reduce an object's electromagnetic signature. Ultimately, it makes curved surfaces seem flat -- electromagnetic waves leave almost as if there were no object at all.
See the unusual way cancer cells spread
In many ways, the biggest problem with fighting cancer is containing it: you may kill the main tumor site, but there's a real chance that it'll spread and reemerge as a threat. At last, though, scientists have a better understanding of how that migration happens. British researchers have learned that cancer cells invoke an unusual survival mechanism when they start to float through the body. Proteins on the cell surface (integrins) switch from their usual role, adhesion, to internal signalling that has the rest of the cell protect itself against death. The cancer is steeling itself for the journey, in other words.
Self-assembling material could produce artificial veins
Most attempts at creating artificial veins don't come close to replicating organic processes, but researchers at the Queen Mary University of London might change that. They've developed a technique that makes proteins and peptides self-assemble into tubular shapes that could stand in as arteries, veins and similar structures. There's no 3D printing or moulds involved -- you only need to guide the material as it builds itself. It can even grow and heal, so you're not stuck if it needs improvements.
Artificial intelligence is now creating its own magic tricks
You might not have to be a professional magician to come up with clever tricks in the near future. Researchers at Queen Mary University of London have developed artificial intelligence that can create magic tricks (specifically, those based on math) all on its own. Once their program learns the basics of creating magic jigsaws and "mind reading" stunts, it can generate many variants of these tricks by itself. This could be particularly handy if you like to impress your friends on a regular basis -- you could show them a new card trick every time without having to do much work.
